Clinton, warlord Dostum are honored guests at Karzai fete

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Clinton, warlord Dostum are honored guests at Karzai fete
By Dion Nissenbaum and Hashim Shukoor | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009

KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai began his second term Thursday under international pressure to select a Cabinet that can regain the trust of disillusioned Afghans, quash widespread government corruption and build a reliable military that can take charge of his country's defense.

However, the competition between foreign demands and domestic political IOUs was on display in the palace hall, where 800 invited guests attended Karzai's inauguration ceremony.

On one side of the cavernous room sat Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who's warned that the international community is losing patience with Karzai.

On the other side was Abdul Rashid Dostum, the Afghan warlord who's become a symbol of cronyism and government corruption. Dostum was stripped of his top military post after he was accused of war crimes and investigated for enacting vigilante justice on the streets of Kabul.

Although foreign leaders have demanded that Karzai sideline Dostum and other discredited political allies, the Afghan president is also under pressure to reward those, such as Dostum, who helped him win re-election.


Rest of article at: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/79199.html